


Undercover

by chartreuseblueandyellow



Category: The Blacklist (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:06:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26316163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chartreuseblueandyellow/pseuds/chartreuseblueandyellow
Summary: And as Red’s laughter came over the line, she and Ressler shared a small look of relief. They should’ve known Red would play along.
Relationships: Elizabeth Keen & Donald Ressler, Elizabeth Keen/Donald Ressler
Comments: 10
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know exactly when this is set but maybe early season 7? Basically whenever things were pretty chill with the team (and no Katarina vs Red business). Also I know the plot is similar to one I’ve written before but like seriously, it’s hard to come up with these so just go with it.  
> I’d love to know what you guys think so please let me know!  
> Enjoy :)

The blacklister of the week was The Contractor. He was someone people could contact through an unhackable server, who would then hire people to commit the crime for his client. Because The Contractor and his client never met in person, and because the client never knew who was carrying out the crime for them, it made it hard to catch anyone involved.  
Reddington informed them that he had heard rumors that The Contractor was in town and was looking for a grifter and some muscle for a job. 

After Reddington had left, they came up with a plan to go undercover so they could not only catch The Contractor, but use the would-be victim to find the client.

It was unanimous that she would go undercover as the grifter and Ressler as the muscle, though Park raised an important question.  
“How can we guarantee that Ressler and Keen will get hired together rather than one or the other?”

It was a good point and they thought about it, but after a while Aram perked up.  
Was it just her, or did he have a mischievous glint in his eye?  
“Well, Agents Keen and Ressler could go as a couple. Surely The Contractor wouldn't split them up then, would he?”

Liz looked at Ressler and they shared a look, realizing Aram could be on to something. 

Park seemed on board with the idea.  
"Yeah… I think that'd work. If you guys show up as a couple he'll most likely just hire you both rather than try and find someone to replace one of you. You guys being married also implies that you'd have worked together many times so you'd have that going for you as well." 

Cooper nodded, agreeing with Park's reasoning.  
"Well that's sorted. Keen, Ressler, you'll be going undercover as a married couple. Before leaving make sure you both get your story straight."  
They nodded and after he assigned Park something to do, the two of them left, leaving her, Ressler and Aram. 

Ressler turned to her.  
"Do we have to act a certain way so he believes that we're married?"

Liz could swear she heard murmuring which sounded suspiciously like 'you don't have to act any different' and she turned to Aram.  
"You said something?"

His head jerked up from his screen, surprised that someone had heard him, and he faltered slightly under both her and Ressler's gaze.  
"I… uh… I was just saying maybe you guys should wear rings?"

She turned to Ressler and raised her eyebrows because it _was_ a good point. He nodded.  
"Yeah that's probably a good idea."

And so, two hours later, Keen found herself driving with Ressler to the house Reddington had said The Contractor would be at. Before they had left, she had raided the undercover department and back in their office, had unceremoniously taken the larger ring out of the box and handed it to Ressler. He had smirked and said 'I do' and she had just laughed and shaken her head. 

Liz had to admit, it felt slightly strange wearing a wedding ring again, even if it wasn't real. The one she was wearing right now was a plain gold band, identical to Ressler's, while her first one had been flashier with diamonds. But, Liz scoffed to herself, that had probably been for show on Tom’s part. 

She snuck a glance at Ressler's hand on the steering wheel. Was it weird to think that a wedding ring looked good on him? She wondered what his thoughts were about wearing one considering what had happened to his fiancé all those years ago. He seemed pretty relaxed though and she was sure his mind was on the mission. Deciding she should probably get her mind off her partner and do the same, she looked at the GPS.  
“We're a few minutes out.”

He nodded.  
“So quick recap. We're Mr and Mrs Charlie and Jessie Jones. You're a professional grifter and I'm an ex navy seal turned muscle for hire.” 

“Yup. Married for five years so far.”

He turned to her and grinned.  
“And hopefully many more years to come.”

She shook her head and laughed.  
“Let's hope we at least get till 10. The traditional gift is a diamond and I've been wanting some new earrings.”  
Ressler threw his head back and laughed at her teasing and she couldn't help but join in. 

A few moments later, she focused back on the job at hand and said, “If the contractor asks for any previous job specifics I'll just come up with something and you can add and back up any details.”  
Ressler nodded, completely fine with that plan.  
It wasn't a very thorough one and if she were going undercover with anyone else she would've gone into much more detail, but this was Ressler. They had been partners for over seven years and they knew each other well. He had complete faith in her undercover skills and she knew he'd back up whatever she did. 

They pulled up to the nondescript house and after putting the car in park, he turned to her.  
“You ready?”

“Yup. You?”

He smirked at her.  
“C’mon Mrs Jones, let's get hired by this contractor.”

She grinned back at him and they walked towards the door, knocking as they reached it.  
It was opened up and, after all this time, she knew that the blacklisters could be anyone, but she was still slightly surprised by the old, well dressed man in front of her, who only came up to her shoulders. 

“May I help you?”  
By his British accent and his attire, Liz would describe him as an elegant Englishman. 

Ressler was good at undercover but he knew she was great at it, so he stood slightly behind her (playing the role of bodyguard well) and let her take the lead.  
“I'm Jessie and this is my husband Charlie,” Ressler nodded in greeting, “and we hear that you're hiring.”

The man's eyes narrowed and after studying her face (she made sure to keep her expression genuine and non-threatening) and taking in Ressler's stance behind her, he gave a single nod.  
“Best not have this conversation in the open,” and opening the door wider, he stepped aside.  
Ressler waited for her to go in first and she thanked The Contractor as she passed him. 

A quick glance around the living room showed absolutely no personal artefacts and no signs of having been lived in. She turned to face the man, who was shutting the door, as Ressler took up the same position of standing slightly behind her. 

Not wanting to sound overly enthusiastic, she kept her tone even and polite.  
“We've heard about you as the contractor but is there any name you'd like us to use instead?”

He paused for a moment.  
“You may call me George.”

She nodded but seeing that she was going to talk again, George held up a hand. Slightly worried as his eyes narrowed at them, she stayed quiet and let him talk.  
“A conversation like this must be had in private but do not assume for one moment that, because I have invited you inside, I will be hiring you.”

Liz nodded.  
“That's fair. I'm sure you have a vetting process to follow and -”

“That is not it.”

Liz kept her expression neutral but her gut was telling her that something was about to go wrong. The tension she felt from Ressler supported that feeling. 

“What is it then?”

Clearly very distrusting of her and Ressler he answered.  
“The only person I have told of my whereabouts was my client, which raises the important question, how did you find me?

 _Shit_. Red didn't mention that.  
Not showing any of her internal panic, she kept her voice calm.  
“This job was recommended to us.”

Clearly not convinced by her vague answer, he continued speaking.  
“My theory is that, because my client knows where I am, they hired you both as well, not believing that I can do their job. But that simply will not work. If you have met them, you cannot do the job.”

“I assure you that's not the case. We've never met whoever has hired you.”

Ressler stepped forward, backing her up.  
“Working for you was recommended to us, your clients didn't send us.”

George's face was filled with distrust and the belief that they were lying to him was starting to make him angry. That would mean he wouldn't hire them which they simply couldn't have. A shared look with Ressler told her he was thinking the same thing as her so she nodded at him and he turned to George.  
“When you hear who told us about this job, I'm sure you'll be okay with it.”

He simply raised an eyebrow in return.  
“Somehow I doubt that.”

Smirking, Ressler said, “we've worked jobs for him before. It's Raymond Reddington.”

That seemed to push the anger away and slight confusion came in its place.  
“Your source is Reddington?” 

Ressler gave a smirk at that and Liz supposed that George thought it was because they knew Reddington, but she knew better. Red was their source in more ways than George could ever know.  
Turning to him, Liz simply said, “he is.”

Disbelief was evident on George’s face.  
“Reddington has power and influence and works in the shadows with very powerful people under his thumb. I can believe that somehow he would know that I am here but what I _cannot_ understand is why would he care enough about a lowly grifter and some ordinary bodyguard-”

“- ex navy seal thank you very much.”

He waved away Ressler’s correction.  
“Whatever. Even if he does know the both of you, why would Reddington tell you about this job if he did not have a stake in it himself?”

This was not going as smoothly as they had hoped. A quick glance at Ressler told her he was thinking the same and she knew there was only one thing to do about it. Ressler gave her a small nod and, glad he was on the same page, she turned back to George, knowing that this was the only thing that would get him to trust them.  
“Do you want us to call him for proof?”

He immediately nodded.  
“One can never be too careful in this line of business.”

She pulled out her undercover phone (her real one was in the office) and, knowing that Red didn't know they had gone undercover, she hoped he would play along when put on the spot.  
Liz had memorised the number and about to dial, she looked up as George added, “and put it on speakerphone.”  
She rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance at his demands, but a quick glance at Ressler let her know he was as worried as she was about how this would turn out. His expression changed slightly, reflecting her earlier thoughts of hoping Red would play along and, giving him a small understanding nod, she turned back to the phone. 

Dembe answered and, knowing that she’d have to let him know what was going on without alerting George, said,  
“Hi Dembe, it’s Jessie here. Can I talk to Reddington?”

There was a pause, Dembe recognising her voice, and through the look Ressler gave her, she knew he was already formulating a plan if things didn’t go their way.  
Thankfully they didn’t have to act it out.

“Of course Jessie, just wait a moment.”  
She gave George a pointed look, as if saying ‘believe me now?’  
He just shrugged, not quite convinced yet.

Relief filled her and Ressler as Red’s jovial tone came over the line.  
“Jessie! It’s been a while, how are you?”

“I’m great Reddington, though I’m afraid this isn’t a social call.”

“I thought as much. Please go on.”

She took a breath and shot Ressler a glance. He nodded at her, believing that she’d be able to tell Red the situation without alerting George and she knew he’d have her back.  
“There’s a guy here, George, who calls himself The Contractor -”

“Ah! I know George. Short fellow!”

“Yeah well, George doesn’t believe Charlie and I when we say we’re a team who’ve worked for you.”

“Ah of course he doesn’t! George has always been mistrusting by nature.”  
And as Red’s laughter came over the line, she and Ressler shared a small look of relief. They should’ve known Red would play along.

“Is old George with you now?”

“Yup, and so is Charlie. You’re on speaker by the way.”

Red laughed good naturedly but before he could say anything George cut in.  
“So Jessie and Charlie here are a husband and wife team who have worked for you?”

She had to give Red credit. He didn't even miss a beat at the new piece of information.  
“Yes they are! I had met Jessie when she was doing small time jobs to pay her rent but I saw her talent and took her under my wing, and Charlie -” as if it was only just hitting Red that Ressler was listening in, he interrupted himself, “- how are you Charlie?”

Liz smiled as Ressler couldn’t help but grin at Red’s jovial and upbeat tone.  
“Yeah I’m good Reddington. How are you?”

“I’m doing great! And while I have you both on the line I _must_ thank you and Jessie for the beautiful gift basket you sent over for christmas. Dembe and I could not stop _gushing_ about the cheese platter!”

Liz and her partner laughed and keeping up with the act Ressler replied, “you really can’t beat a Montreal cheese cart.”

Over the speaker Red gave a belly laugh and as Ressler winked at her she couldn’t help but join in.

George cleared his throat, not seeing the amusement of cheese carts.  
“So, evidently Jessie and Charlie here are very close to you.”

“Oh yes very. I knew them both before they knew each other. In fact -” Liz heard a smile appear in Red’s voice, “- I often congratulate myself for their marriage because I sensed they would work _marvellously_ together and so, even though they were distrustful of each other at first, I paired them as a team and the rest is history!”

Liz looked at her partner and they shared an almost indistinguishable glance of confusion. Red’s story (obviously other than the marriage bit) was pretty close to what had actually happened and it made Liz wonder if Red _had_ actually put her and Ressler together because he knew they’d work well. 

He continued talking.  
"You see George, I see myself as their guardian of sorts. I even attended their wedding."  
His voice had taken on the tone of when he began his long winded stories and she was interested to see where this was going. A quick glance at Ressler told her that he was amused yet slightly confused as to what Reddington was going to say next. 

"It was a _gorgeous_ affair, Jessie here looked _radiant_ in her gown and Charlie looked simply _dashing_ in his tux! After their first dance, there wasn't a dry eye in the room, and I'm not ashamed to admit that that includes Dembe and I!”

Liz and Ressler looked at each other with amusement and confusion, but Red wasn't done. In fact, it seemed like he was just getting started.

“Charlie and his brother have had their differences in the past but it was great to see that they worked everything out before the wedding, he was even Charlie's best man!”

Well _that_ was oddly specific to their real lives and sharing another discreet glance with her partner, the amusement had gone from his expression, the confusion clear to her. Honestly she felt the same but before she could dwell too much on Red bringing Ressler's real life into this cover story, it turned out she was next. 

“Jessie's daughter was the flower girl and she looked _beyond_ adorable and after all this time, it was simply _heartwarming_ to see her finally call Charlie dad because her biological father, God rest his soul, was an okay father but not a great role model. I warned Jessie against him countless times but alas, she paid me no heed, what can I say?”

She met Ressler’s eyes and, though they were both careful not to show any visible reactions, she could see her same thought reflected in her partner's eyes.  
_What the fuck?_

Was this all really just Red spouting stuff on the spot? It had way too much detail and the details he was giving made it sound as if it was hers and Ressler’s wedding, not Jessie's and Charlie's.  
She could just imagine Red’s face as he told this story. He was having _way_ too much fun with this. 

Apparently Red’s story was more than enough to convince George and, seeming to be slightly annoyed by how off topic they had gone, he gave a polite cough in hopes to bring it to a halt. 

Reddington seemed to get the hint.  
"But I get away with myself. My point is that I see myself as their guardian angel -" he chuckled, "- though guardian devil probably suits me better, so when I heard you were looking for a grifter and some muscle, I thought Jessie and Charlie here would be perfect for you!" 

“Well why didn’t they just lead with that?”

Before she or Ressler could come up with more lies on the spot, Red’s laughter came through the line.  
“I referred them, but surely you can understand George, my tendency to stay in the shadows as much as possible?”

At last George’s face fully relaxed and he laughed.  
“Of course Reddington. The best place to do business from _is_ from the shadows. That is the premise of mine after all.”

Liz gave Ressler a discreet glance and the relief that their cover was safe was obvious (well, to her anyway) on his face. 

After goodbyes, Red hung up and George turned to them, a smile on his face.  
“Let's talk business shall we?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 baby!  
> This was fun to write so I look forward to hearing what u guys have to say about it :)  
> Enjoy!

The phone call with Red had alleviated George's concerns and he had given her and Ressler the specs of the job.  
After leaving the house, they had gotten into the car and started the drive back, when Liz broke the silence with a small laugh.  
“Well, I'm glad Red had our back but… that was strange.”

Ressler shook his head, as if he couldn't quite believe what Red had done.  
“That sure was a…” he tried to find the right words, “... detailed story.”

She turned to face the driving Ressler and in a confused voice asked, “how did Reddington even know about your brother?”  
Liz didn't tell Red and she knew for certain that her partner hadn't either. 

Eyes still on the road, Ressler gave a disbelieving laugh.  
“After all these years I should probably have gotten used to the fact that Reddington seems to know everything, even when he shouldn't but -” he shook his head, “- I have no idea how he knew about my brother.”  
Liz had nothing to add to that, she felt the same, but glancing at her then turning back to face the road, Ressler said, “Reddington never hid the fact that he didn't like Tom, so I bet he relished in the fact that he could bring it up again and you couldn't really argue back in the moment.”

Liz sighed, she had the exact same thoughts, and leaning against her seat, she huffed.  
“He had _way_ too much fun with that cover story.”

Ressler glanced at her then back to the road.  
“He really did.”

They stepped out of the elevator and walked towards Aram, Cooper and Park who were standing around the former’s desk. Cooper looked up at them.  
“How did it go?”

Liz answered.  
“At the start, not so great. We had to tell him that Red recommended us for the job, then had to call him to prove it.”

Cooper looked slightly worried.  
“Reddington didn't know that the both of you had gone undercover, did he back your story?”

Liz and Ressler shared a look and she turned back to Cooper, clearing her throat.  
“Well, he definitely kept our cover intact.”

Next to her, Ressler mumbled, “maybe too much,” and she shot him a knowing grin. Judging from the rest of the team's expressions, they could tell something had happened and Aram looked particularly interested. 

Cooper however, was more interested in what information they had gotten and so she and Ressler told the team that George hired them to steal a priceless painting from a French diplomat in order to publicly humiliate him.  
Before they could talk about how they would execute this plan, the elevator opened and Red and Dembe walked in, the former with a pleased grin on his face and even the usually stoic Dembe had a hint of a smile.  
Ressler saw them and turned.  
“What the hell was all that?”

Reddington just laughed.  
“Even though your call was out of the blue, I kept yours and Elizabeth’s cover. Surely you should be thanking me Donald.”

Sure she was slightly annoyed by what Red had pulled, but she knew he loved getting under Ressler’s skin and, though he tried not to let it get to him, her partner found Red infuriating.  
She took a slight step forward to bring Red's attention to her and, getting it, said, “while I'm glad you held our cover, maybe try do it without a novel length descriptive story next time.”

He smiled.  
“I'll take that into account Lizzy,” but, as if he couldn't help himself, he added, “but what a beautiful story it was!” and looking back at Ressler, a shit eating grin spreading across his face, he asked, “didn’t you think so Donald?”  
Ressler grumbled under his breath, something about ‘smug criminals’ and she put a hand on his forearm. He calmed slightly but Red’s grin grew even larger, and seeing that his gaze was on her hand, she hastily moved it back to her side. 

Cooper, slightly concerned by this interaction, asked her, “you're sure that your cover is still intact?”

“Yup, it is.”

Sensing she was genuine, Cooper nodded, convinced he knew whatever was pertinent to the case about whatever the situation was with her, Ressler and Reddington.  
Park on the other hand, looked slightly intrigued while Aram looked like he was on the edge of his seat watching his favourite reality show.  
Liz shook her head and started discussing the plan again, forcing Ressler to ignore Red and help her explain it. 

After going through the plan, Cooper headed to his office and Park went to sort out some details. She and Ressler headed towards their office and as he entered behind her, he huffed in the privacy of their own space.  
“He's so proud of himself.”

In the middle of making sure she had no messages on her real phone, Liz shook her head and looked up to her partner with a fond grin.  
“You've really got to stop letting him rile you up Ress.” 

He leaned against his desk and folded his arms across his chest.  
“Yeah I know. It's just that I was actually caught off guard by the real life details in his story.”

“Yeah, same here.”

Ressler nodded, then added,  
“It doesn't help that he's so smug about it.”

Putting her phone back into her purse, she looked at her partner with an eyebrow raised.  
“Oh. He _definitely_ loves the drama he's causing.”

Ressler shook his head and held the door open for her. They walked out of the office and she looked over to Aram's desk to see him and Reddington… gossiping?  
The Aram from the past, who was absolutely terrified of Reddington, would never have believed that in the future, he'd be happily gossiping with the concierge of crime.  
They were too far away to hear what was being said but while Red was smiling and talking, Aram was grinning like a fool. Dembe was smiling too.  
Ressler, seeing the same thing she was, sighed and shook his head.  
“Gee, I wonder what they're talking about.”

She laughed at his flat sarcasm and nudged his shoulder.  
“You have to admit though, Reddington and Aram gossiping is kind of cute.”

She turned to see a begrudging smile on his face.  
“Yeah it is,” and turning to Liz added, “but don't you dare mention to Red that I used him and cute in the same sentence.”

She just laughed.  
“Yeah, honestly I don't think he'd take it as a compliment.”

He laughed, agreeing with her, and nodding his head towards Aram and Reddington, said, “do you want to head over?”  
She nodded and they made their way to the other two, Dembe standing at a distance but close enough to hear what was being said. 

As soon as they got close enough, Aram looked at them with a grin.  
“I'm sorry I missed your wedding, it sounded amazing!”

Red looked pleased with himself and Liz had to laugh.  
Ressler just shook his head while mumbling under his breath, “never thought the _concierge of crime_ would gossip like a teenage girl.”

“You said something Donald?”  
Ressler glared at the older man. 

Liz quickly interrupted and looked at Aram as she spoke.  
“While Ressler and I are glad our cover’s are still intact, it was just a story made up by Red,” she gestured towards him as she spoke, “so don't be making it into too big a deal.”

Aram smiled but nodded, but Reddington, seeming to focus in on something, looked at her and Ressler with a smug grin.  
One that made her slightly wary about what he was going to say next.  
“If it doesn't warrant looking deeper into Elizabeth, then why are you and Donald here still, quite comfortably I might add, wearing your wedding rings?”

She looked down at her hand in surprise, genuinely forgetting about it and, ignoring Aram’s snickering, looked at Ressler who met her gaze from looking up from his own hand. Feeling Red's gaze on them, Ressler quickly tugged it off while she carefully slid it onto her palm. 

After glaring at Reddington and giving him a ‘you happy now?’ look (and receiving only a chuckle in response), he turned to her and gave her a look, one she knew meant that he meant no offense to her by rushing to take off the ring. It was because of Red’s reaction and not because the idea of being married to her was so terrible, he had to hurriedly take the ring off as soon as they weren't undercover. 

She gave him an understanding nod and he smiled, glad she understood. They turned back to face Aram and Reddington and Liz was slightly annoyed to see that the latter looked only more amused at the moment she and Ressler had just shared. 

Seeing the expression on her face and knowing Red was starting to get to her, Aram, being the great friend that he was, changed the topic and started talking about how excited he was to plan an art heist, just like in the movies. 

Only half paying attention as Aram rambled on, Liz couldn't help but think about Red’a comment. Now that she thought about it, she _had_ realised she was wearing a wedding ring again, but it was a familiar, comfortable sort of feeling. She associated that same feeling with Ressler and it seemed almost to her as if, even though it was a stupid thought, that she could feel this ring was a symbol for her partnership with Ressler, rather than her relationship with Tom. 

She shook her head of her thoughts and joined back in the conversation. And while, for now, the only thing going on in her head was how to carry out this art heist, her evolving relationship with Ressler, and Red’s possible meddling in it, would warrant further looking in to.


End file.
